Thursday 1 October 2015

Jet.com: the new 'Aldi' of eCommerce?

A new US-only website, launched in July, Jet.com is offering another option for price-sensitive online shoppers: simply visit its site and it will guarantee the lowest prices across some 10 million items.

The site also offers a variety of tricks Jet.com shoppers can use to save even more, including filtering by “smart/cheaper” items, opting for a different form of payment for extra savings, accepting combined packs, slower delivery, or even agreeing not to return an item in exchange for a discount.

In other words, Jet.com are aiming at Amazon's market, but betting that online shoppers will be willing to trade high service levels for lower prices...

The business model works on a combination of a $50/annum membership fee and a real-time trading system that suggests economies such as 'combinable' products, new shipping options and price updates - cheaper! - as the shopper packs the basket, all resulting in lower prices (can you imagine the impact on B&M shopping if this facility could be incorporated into self-scanning in the aisle?).

Incidentally, given that Mr O'Leary plans to make Ryanair the Amazon of travel, aspiring to go the Jet.com route might make a better fit, and represent less of a culture-shock!

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